Socrates: A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition

C.C.W. Taylor

Oct 2021 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Michael Page

About this audiobook

Socrates has a unique position in the history of philosophy; it is no exaggeration to say that had it not been for his influence on Plato, the whole development of Western philosophy might have been unimaginably different. Yet Socrates wrote nothing himself, and our knowledge of him is derived primarily from the engaging and infuriating figure who appears in Plato's dialogues. In this Very Short Introduction, Christopher Taylor explores the life of Socrates and his philosophical activity, before looking to the responses his philosophical doctrines have evoked in the centuries since his betrayal and execution at fellow Athenian hands. Examining the relationship between the historical Socrates and the Platonic character, Taylor considers the complex question of how far it is possible to distinguish the philosopher's own thought from that of those others who wrote about him, and explores the enduring image of Socrates as the ideal exemplar of the philosophic life-thinker whose moral and intellectual integrity permeated every detail of his life. This new edition also includes a new chapter analyzing the reception and influence of Socrates in 19th and 20th century philosophical thought.

About the author

C. C. W. Taylor is the author of several books, including Pleasure, Mind, and Soul: Selected Papers in Ancient Philosophy, and has translated a number of texts, including Plato's Protagoras, and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. He was the editor of Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy from 1993 to 1998.

Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since the mid-1980s and now has nearly 500 titles to his credit. He has won two Audie Awards and several AudioFile Earphones Awards. A PhD and a professional actor, Michael is also a retired professor of theater.